The greatest test that befell the Soviet Union - its people and the Armed Forces - was the Great Patriotic War. Four years passed, hard for all Soviet people, before the war ended and a complete victory over fascism was won.
The consequences of this war were of historical significance and had an impact on the post-war process of development of all mankind. Soviet troops not only cleared the occupied territory of fascist troops, but also assisted the peoples of Europe in getting rid of the German invaders.
The situation at the front in May 1945
You have to understand that the medal "For the Capture of Berlin" had a huge symbolic and historical significance.
By the time the decision to storm Berlin was ripe, Soviet intelligence reported to the headquarters of the Supreme Commander about the start of secret negotiations betweenCIA intelligence chief Allen Dulles and Nazi Germany.
With the participation of Italian and Swiss mediators, the head of American intelligence A. Dulles began such negotiations. On March 8, 1945, he meets in Zurich with a representative of the German command, SS General K. Wolff.
Thanks to the actions of Soviet intelligence and the intervention of the leadership of the Soviet Union, these negotiations were disrupted. But before the command of the Soviet troops, the question arose of starting preparations for the assault on the capital of Germany - the city of Berlin.
Fortifications
The command of the Nazi troops was aware that the fall of Berlin could put an end to the power of the Nazis in Germany.
In order to keep the city as long as possible, powerful defensive structures were built on the borders. For this, not only the favorable terrain (rivers, lakes, canals) was used, but also every building and stone buildings.
Water barriers on the front line of defense, which took place on the banks of the Oder and Neisse rivers, were also a difficult obstacle. The width of the river reached 250 meters.
The city was surrounded by a triple ring of defensive structures, and 400 long-term firing points made of reinforced concrete were erected inside. The largest of these structures are six-story underground bunkers with military units up to a thousand fighters.
The Berlin garrison numbered 200 thousand people.
Battles for Berlin
Medals of the Great Patriotic War were issued for major and significant events.
To suchevents undoubtedly include the military operations of the Soviet group of forces in April-May 1945.
The assault on the Berlin group of troops began on the night of April 16th. Before the offensive, a powerful artillery and aviation preparation took place. And under the illumination of powerful searchlights, Soviet tanks and infantry launched an attack from the Kustrinsky bridgehead.
Stalin, having intelligence about the intentions of the enemy on the situation in Zurich, on April 17 sent an urgent telegram to the Military Council of the front that it was urgent to put an end to this web of lies. For this, Berlin must be taken by Soviet troops.
As expected, the fighting was extremely difficult. Hitler's soldiers fought on the defensive with the despair of the doomed. Particularly fierce fighting took place in the area of the Seelow Heights.
After the fighting, the troops approached Berlin by April 21, and by April 22, Soviet soldiers broke into the streets of Berlin.
By April 25, the troops of the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts united, closing the ring around Berlin, thereby dividing the enemies into two parts.
The Capture of the Reichstag
All of Berlin was already on fire. And on the morning of April 30, the fighting began for the capture of the Reichstag, in which at that time there was a garrison of selected SS forces.
After fierce clashes in the Reichstag building on the night of May 1, the Victory Banner was hoisted on the pediment of this huge building.
But the fights of the warring units in the city did not stop, only on the morning of May 2 did the remnants of the defending SS men in the Reichstag building ask for surrender.
It was at this moment that a turning point occurred in the battles, which ended in the complete victory of the Soviet troops. And military medals remind us of this.
Work on the medal project
By the time the award for participation in the storming of Berlin was created, the medals of the Great Patriotic War had already been issued more than once.
116 sketches participated in the competition for the appearance of the medal "For the Capture of Berlin", which began on April 19, 1945. And by May 3, the first samples in metal were minted.
The final form of the medal "For the Capture of Berlin" acquired thanks to the sketch of the artist A. I. Kuznetsova. Diameter - 32 mm. Material - brass.
On the front side in the center of the medal there is an inscription "For the capture of Berlin". Below the inscription is a drawing of an oak half wreath, curled with a ribbon. Above the inscription "For the capture of Berlin" a five-pointed star is minted.
The reverse side is decorated with the text "May 2, 1945" and below the date - a five-pointed asterisk.
Million Heroes
The medal "For the capture of Berlin" was awarded to servicemen on the basis of documents that confirmed participation in the assault and capture of Berlin in the period from 22.04 to 02.05.1945. It was received by people to whom you and I owe our lives and freedom.
For the entire period of post-war life, military personnel awarded the medal "For the Capture of Berlin" amounted to over a million people. And even many years after the end of the war, the awards continue to find their owners, for the most partsome of those who at the time of the award were in hospitals in serious condition.
Among the million awarded:
- Soviet ace pilot, three times Hero of the Soviet Union - Alexander Ivanovich Pokryshkin.
- Soviet commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union - Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov.
And after the death or death of the recipient of such an award, the medal "For the Capture of Berlin" along with the documents for it remained in the family of the recipient to be preserved in memory of a relative-hero. And to this day, specialists from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation are searching for those who could not get their medals.
